President Jacob Zuma says the Strategic Presidential Team will unify the MK Party's leadership, improve organisational effectiveness and drive implementation of the party's programmes, policies and electoral strategy.

Six foreign nationals tragically lost their lives in a devastating fire at a Tsomo store, prompting an inquest by the South African Police Service to uncover the cause of the incident.

An intelligence-driven police operation in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has led to the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of rock cocaine worth over R1 million. The drug bust occurred in Kingsburgh, Amanzimtoti, on Tuesday, 28 July 2026. Drug bust Police spokesperson Colonel Paul Magwaza said the trio were nabbed for dealing in drugs, and rock cocaine was also recovered “Members from the Provincial Drugs and Firearms Unit gathered intelligence on three suspects who had booked an apartment in a holiday resort in Kingsburgh. The suspects were alleged to be processing, packaging and selling rock cocaine from the apartment.” Magwaza said police officers identified the exact apartment in which the targets were suspected be in and they tactically moved towards the rooms. “They knocked and announced themselves as police officers. When they entered the apartment, they found the suspects packing drugs. One suspect attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended. Cocaine Police searched the rooms and found rock cocaine with an estimated street value of over R 1 million, two sealing machines and a scale,” Magwaza said. All three suspects were arrested and charged with dealing in drugs and will appear at the Amanzimtoti Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 29 July 2026. Picture: Saps Drug lab Last week, police struck another blow against organised crime, following a court‑ordered forfeiture of a Rietfontein property and cash linked to a R100‑million drug lab bust. The High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria, granted a preservation of property order in terms of Section 50 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), Act 121 of 1998, against the property last month. Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk said the order emanates from a takedown operation conducted on 27 November 2024, during which police uncovered a clandestine drug laboratory valued at approximately R100 million on a property in Rietfontein, Gauteng. Van Wyk said a Mexican national was arrested at the scene.

The province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is bracing for severe weather as MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma mobilises emergency teams to tackle heavy snowfall and potential flooding. Graders have been deployed to clear snow before it reaches dangerous levels above 30cm, while more than 170 rooms at Montclair Lodge have been secured to shelter families left destitute. ‘Low pressure’ Duma says transport and human settlement teams will respond “with agility” to the cut-off low-pressure system threatening the province. “We have just received an updated weather report from the South African Weather Services. Accordingly, we have engaged with heads of both the Department of Transport and Human Settlements to ensure that our teams respond with agility to predicted severe weather patterns triggered by a cut-off low-pressure system “In particular, as per our standard snowfall response plan, graders, working with Road Traffic Inspectorate Teams, will remove the snow before it could accumulate to above 30 cm on our road networks,” Duma said. Snow Duma added that RTI teams in snow-prone areas such as N3, around Ladysmith, Kokstad, Underberg, Harding, Newcastle, N11, Pietermaritzburg and N2 will co-ordinate possible road closures to prevent motorists from getting stuck on the road. “Our road freight directorate will be engaging with stakeholders in the freight and logistics sector to ensure the execution of one coherent plan. “While we understand that there should be no disruption of supply chain management, the overall movement of trucks will be carefully co-ordinated to prevent congestion on our road networks,” Duma added. Picture: KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Transport and Human Settlements. Flooding In response to possible devastating floods, Duma said “team Human Settlements”, working with eThekwini Municipality, has made more than 170 rooms available at the newly acquired Montclair Lodge. “We will accommodate families that may be left destitute.” Motorists have been advised to exercise caution, reduce speed, and maintain safe following distances on wet and slippery roads.

South Africans are speaking out about the daily struggle to survive on their SASSA Older Persons Grant, with many admitting they’ve resorted to skipping meals, eating mostly bread, and relying on soya mince to make it through the month. The comments flooded in after The South African reported on a pensioner who said her SASSA grant fails to last the month, prompting hundreds of readers to share their own experiences of going hungry while waiting for the next payment. ‘Lots Of Bread in My Tummy’ One commenter, Sarah Van Greunen, painted a stark picture of her daily diet, saying she survives mostly on bread and joked darkly that people would find evidence of it if she died. Her comment was met with sympathy from other users, including Margaret Le Roux, who reassured her that she wasn’t alone in the struggle. Another reader described the added pressure of caring for a family member while relying on an insufficient pension, explaining that supporting her mother is especially difficult because she also cares for her 14-year-old son, who has special needs and requires round-the-clock attention. Soya Mince, Eggs, and ‘No Name’ Soup: SASSA pensioners name the food they eat For many pensioners, stretching a grant means getting creative in the kitchen. Daniel Lourens said he has become skilled at designing meals that stretch further, listing soya mince, eggs, pasta, and no-name brand soup used as a sauce among his go-to staples. Other users pointed to community support structures as a possible lifeline. Deborah Frame suggested pensioners struggling to feed themselves reach out to Meals on Wheels for assistance. A Growing Public Outcry The flood of comments highlights growing frustration among grant recipients who say the Older Persons Grant, while a critical lifeline, simply isn’t enough to cover basic nutrition, let alone additional costs like caring for dependents with special needs. As the cost of living continues to rise, pensioners and their families are calling for grant increases that reflect real-world expenses, rather than figures that leave many surviving on bread alone. Win R2 000 in the South African SASSA grant survey If you receive a SASSA grant and want to share your story, we want to hear from you. Take part in our survey and stand a chance to win R2 000. Your responses help us tell the stories that matter.

Amid the heated backlash over a proposal to cap SASSA’s Children’s Grant at one child per family, one comment stood out for taking a completely different approach, shifting the conversation from cash payments to something more practical. Commenter Michelle Müller agreed that grants should be limited to one pregnancy, but proposed something most of the debate had missed entirely: instead of ongoing cash support, every baby born in South Africa should receive a care box at birth, containing nappies, a blanket, bath essentials and toiletries. A model already used elsewhere Müller pointed out that this isn’t a new idea; she noted that several other countries already provide newborn care packages with nappies as standard practice, ensuring every child receives the same essentials at birth, regardless of their parents’ income or eligibility for grants. The suggestion reframes the debate away from “how much” families should receive, and toward “what” a baby actually needs in its first weeks of life, nappies, warmth, and basic hygiene items, rather than a monthly cash transfer that commenters argue is easily misused. SASSA grant debate takes an unexpected turn Unlike much of the surrounding debate, which splits sharply between scrapping grants altogether and imposing a hard cap on children, Müller’s proposal doesn’t ask whether families deserve support. It reframes the question entirely: should support come as cash, or as guaranteed essentials every child needs regardless of circumstance? That distinction matters in a debate where commenters like Nancy Soller argued grants should be scrapped since “having a child is a choice, not a reward system,” while others, like Paige Miceala Brothers, called instead for redirecting funds toward old age pensions and a higher minimum wage. Could it actually work? A universal newborn care box would still require government funding and logistics; questions Müller’s comment doesn’t address. But the idea has resonated in the comments section as a middle path: less about who “deserves” a grant, and more about ensuring no child starts life without the basics. SASSA has not commented on the care box proposal or confirmed any changes to its Children’s Grant policy. For now, it remains one idea among many in a public debate that shows no signs of slowing down. Win R2 000 in the South African SASSA grant survey If you receive a SASSA grant and want to share your story, we want to hear from you. Take part in our survey and stand a chance to win R2 000. Your responses help us tell the stories that matter.

MultiChoice Group's delisting took DStv's subscriber numbers with it, and new owner Canal+ has not put them back.

South African staff are among those affected, but the crypto exchange will not say how many.